Tuesday, 8 November 2011

Mary Berry's Victorian Christmas Cake

Did you know that there are only 46 days to Christmas?
Yikes!
Have you made your Christmas cake yet?
Now, I know that lots of people hate fruit cake but the Senior Partner and I cannot be counted amongst them.
We do both loathe, despise and abominate marzipane the traditional layer between the fruit cake and the Royal icing topping.
We're not mad about Royal icing and all the fiddly little Christmas decorations either.
I usually bake Delia's Christmas cake, a tried and tested recipe which never fails, however in the November issue of Good Food magazine I came across Mary Berry's Classic Victorian Christmas cake and decided to bake it this year instead.
Clickhere for the link to the recipe on the BBC Good Food website.
I tweaked the recipe only slightly by replacing sherry with whisky, and it's whisky I'll "feed" the cake with every two weeks until decorating the top with jeweled coloured glace fruits and seasonal nuts, and I might well decide to enhance it further with a beautiful shimmering ribbon.
I'll probably post a photo or two of the finished cake, all glossy and pouting in it's rich deliciousness, a little nearer Christmas, for now though all I can show you is the cake before it went into the oven and all the messy detritus left for me to clear away whilst it bakes for 5 hours and 10 minutes!

26 comments:

Oh Wow, you bake your own Christmascake Maggie.Lots of work but oh so delicious. I remember when I worked in England more than 50 years ago we had that and I loved it. Here in Holland we don't have that cake and tradition. I know we all have a mess when we do our baking.Have a nice day and I bet your house will smell soooo good.

Maggie,I love Christmas cake too. I don't think I could make this recipe because of the metrics and some of the ingredients! I may have to hunt around for the one I used to make - you have got me thinking!

What an efficient lady you are. We are going to be away for Christmas, so need to do any baking here. By the way I have just been on Bookmooch, at last it is working again and noticed your blog link is incorrect?

I have always followed the English tradition of making my Christmas Cake on what has always been called, "Stir up Sunday". (the last Sunday before Advent) The collect for the day reads:Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

I enjoy making the marzipan for the cake as well as soaking the fruit in brandy, for several weeks prior to that. I'm sure I'll be doing a post about it soon.As for the recipe I use, it's from a Sainsbury baking book I bought many years ago.

It's Delia's for us again, made last weekend (bought everything ready prepared in a box from Waitrose and just added the butter, eggs, lemon etc)This weekend, while I'm away the sous chefs (OH&DD) are making the Christmas pudding !!!

Maggie, your kitchen looks like mine after I've been baking. This sounds like a LOT of work. i can't wait to see a picture close to Christmas. I know it will be beautiful. Sadly, if I bake, I want to be able to eat it as soon as it cools - sometimes before it cools. What patience this must take. By the way, I really didn't want to know how few days are left until Christmas! laurie

You're very ambitious. I love fruit cake but haven't made any since my sister in law got married and before that for my own wedding cakes. Your cake will be delicious. I love your recipe rack - what a good idea!

Christmas, haven't even thought about it yet, What a sport you are to be in the spirit so fast, but with that wonderful cake and all the prep one has to start the process. I would love to try some. Have never made a fruited cake before. My mother used it. Good luck andi

About Me

Home is a 16th/18th century former Presbytery situated in a tiny village, surrounded by beautiful Normandy countryside.
I share it with my lovely husband and best friend of over 37 years, and M'selle Fleur our gorgeous German Shepherd.